A NotSoHappy Return
by neshy
Summary: After graduation, Hermione left everyone behind to persue a relationship with Ron. After three years, she returns to Harry seeking refuge and hoping he remembers what they once shared...and could possibly share again. AU, H/Hr
1. Chapter 1

1**Chapter 1- A Not-So-Happy Return**

Harry stumbled out of bed toward the bathroom, clad only in his boxers and an old t-shirt. Still groggy, he made his way to the kitchen to get something to eat when he looked at the clock. 3:07.

"Shit," Harry mumbled as he grabbed two slices of bread from the breadbox. He opened the fridge and pulled out some turkey and cheese. He made his sandwich when he heard a loud crack came out from behind him and a delicate voice call out to him. A voice he hadn't heard since he graduated from Hogwarts three years ago.

"Harry," the voice whispered. "Harry, help me." Harry slowly turned around only to come face to face with someone that he thought he'd never see again.

Hermione Granger.

Harry went out and hugged her when she whimpered in pain. He took a step back and took a good look at Hermione. She looked terrible, to be brutally honest. Her clothes were worn and torn, revealing a wide array of bruises ranging from deep purple to green to dark red in color. She was bleeding from various cuts and scraped on her arms and legs, and she looked as though she hadn't eaten in weeks. Her face wasn't any better though, with the black eye, busted lip, and large red mark on her cheek which Harry immediately recognized as a handprint. To top that off, she was shaking in tears.

"Sit down and eat this," Harry said, putting the sandwich into Hermione's hands before running out to the bookcase in the living room. He quickly found what he was looking for and gingerly pulled the hefty old book away from the others. Harry blew the dust off of the cover, revealing it to be _St. Mungo's At Home Healing Guide, 82__nd__ Revised Edition_. Harry opened the cover and read the small handwritten note scribbled inside.

You'll need this one day. Trust me.

With love,

Hermione

Harry closed the volume and rushed back to the kitchen. Before he sat down, he cast two spells at a closed door.

"I don't wanna be overheard," Harry said.

"You've got a girlfriend?" Hermione asked, noticeably saddened, as he sat.

"Kinda. It's complicated."

"What about your life isn't complicated?"

"Touché. You couldn't honestly think that I'd stay single forever, could you?"

"I guess not," she said. After a minute, she continued. "Are you gonna help heal me or what?"

"Can you help? I'm no good at healing spells; you know that. Better yet, I'm taking you to St. Mungo's."

"NO! That's where he...I mean, I trust you. You can do it."

"Hermione, please-" Harry pleaded.

"No, I believe in you," she said.

"That's not what I was gonna ask," he said. "I was going to ask who did this to you."

"No one did. I, er, fell down the stairs," Hermione stammered.

"That's bullshit and you know it. I see the handprint on your cheek and I can see right through that lie. So tell me: who did this to you? He won't get away with it."

"I can't. He said he'd hurt me if I told anybody."

"He'll never hurt you again, not if I have any say in the matter. I can take care of him, I _will___take care of him, but I can only do that if you tell me what happened. Who did this to you? Tell me the truth."

"You won't..." she cried. "Can't you just patch me up first?" Harry nodded and did his best at fixing up Hermione. In silence.

"All done, " Harry said several minutes- or was it hours?- later, slamming the book closed and breaking the deafening silence.

"No, not all done. Can I look up a spell? I'm so stupid, I should have it memorized. I've had to use it before."

"You're not stupid," Harry said vehemently. "Stop beating yourself up over it. Sorry, bad choice of words. Here, I'll look it up. Tell me what you need."

"An E.C. spell," Hermione mumbled. Harry looked confused; he obviously had not a clue what she was talking about. "How do you not know what an E.C. spell is?" she asked while he look in the index. Harry found the E's quickly and began to scan the list as Hermione kept talking. "I mean, don't you and your girlfriend ever need, er, 'backup'?"

"I said that we were kinda together, and-" Harry stopped as another lightbulb lit over his head. "Oh, Hermione. Please, please tell me that he didn't..." he dropped off, unable to trust his voice.

"You said that you wanted the truth." At that, Harry got up out of his seat so fast that it fell over. Then he punched a hole in the wall and swore loudly, whether in pain or in rage Hermione couldn't tell. "Harry, I didn't ask for this to happen! When I left, I had no idea that it would come to this!" Reading between the lines, another lightbulb lit over Harry's head.

"What the fuck! RON! _Ron!_ It was _him?!_" Harry screamed. Hermione nodded, crying, and Harry punched another hole in the wall before he, too, succumbed to tears. "Why? Why would-" he couldn't even say the name anymore. "Why would he do that?!"

"Don't you think that I want that answer as well! Don't you think I want to know why he's been beating me!? Why he's been treating me like a slave or acting like I was a common whore!? Why he snapped!? If anyone wants that answer, then it's me! Now just give me the fucking spell, Harry! The longer I wait-" Hermione shuddered at the thought, and so did Harry. He opened the heavy book, surprisingly, to the correct page on the first try.

"Bathroom's the second door on the right. Figured that you'd want some privacy. I'll go see if I can find some clothes for you to wear. I doubt that Ginny'd mind." Hermione was silent for a minute, wondering if she heard Harry mind.

"Did you say that you were dating _Ginny_?" Hermione questioned, and judging by Harry's silence, she got her answer. "Ginny? You're with Ginny?! How could you do this?!"

"Do your spell, 'Mione. I said we'd talk later" Hermione's eyes widened. "What?" Hermione sprinted for the bathroom, and Harry grabbed her some fresh clothes. Harry decided not to disturb Ginny, and so grabbed some of his clothes instead. He made a mental note to buy Hermione some new clothes when he went into town before heading to the bathroom. He heard running water, so he knocked.

"Come in, Harry," Hermione called over the patter of the shower she was in, trying to cleanse her body, hoping that that would help. _'No, it won't,' _she thought.

"I just grabbed you an old t-shirt of mine. It'll be kinda big, but I'm bigger than you...and now I sound like an idiot." Hermione laughed. "And with how tiny you look-"

"It'll be fine. Thank you. I'll never be able to thank you enough."

"You're sleeping on my bed. Ginny and I don't share rooms. Like I said, it's complicated. My room's right across the hall when you're done." Hermione sounded ready to object. "I won't take 'no' for an answer." Hermione huffed.

"Okay. I'll see you later, Harry."

"See you later," Harry said as he left to catch a few z's on the sofa. "I love you," he whispered before he fell into his slumber.

_**A.N.: **__I've had up to chapter 5 written out for some time now. I only just got around to typing it up because my dad gave me and my sister his old laptop as a birthday present/hand-me-down._

_I'm not going to pester you for reviews or say that I want so many reviews before the next chapter. That bugs me when they hold a chapter hostage._ _But if you do review, then please _no flames. _Flames are mean._

_Also note that this isn't a Ron-bashfest. This fanfic is AU and OOC_. _So if that's not your thing_, _then walk away now, or you'll be in for approximately 9 more chapters of this. I'm planning on about having ten chapters, but I'm not promising anything._

_Au revoir!_

_SexyWaffles_

_A.K.A._

_Patty_


	2. Chapter 2

1**Chapter 2- An Atypical Morning**

Harry was woken up by the sounds of Ginny getting ready for work. Hungry, he dragged his feet into the kitchen to get something to eat. As he buttered his toast, Ginny gasped.

"What the hell happened here?!" Harry looked to where she was pointing, only to see the two holes in the wall from the previous night.

"I had a bad night," he coolly replied.

"There are two holes in the damn wall!"

"Okay, I had a _really_ bad night. Sue me," Harry said with a hint of humor. Ginny folded her arms; she wasn't going to accept that.

"They better be fixed when I get home," she demanded. Harry nodded, and she walked out the front door. After he was sure that she was gone, Harry ran to his bedroom and knocked on the door. Hermione opened it up and flung herself into Harry's arms.

"Rough night?" he asked, enjoying the sight of Hermione wearing one of his old Quidditch tees.

"That's the understatement of the century," she replied. "Do I smell bacon?" Harry gestured to the kitchen, and Hermione ran quite eagerly. Harry followed her and grabbed his share before she ate all of it. They ate their breakfast in silence, both too hungry to waste time on small-talk.

"Hey, Hermione, can we talk? We never really got around to it before."

"Sure. Why not?" she shrugged, clearing the table. "Talking's good."

"I was thinking about-"

"If this is about-"

"No, not...him," Harry said. Hermione let out a sigh of relief. "I was going to ask you why you left."

"Well, I was tired of his behavior, and-"

"No," he interrupted. "I wasn't talking about _that_. I was talking about why you left after Hogwarts."

"Oh. To be honest, I really don't know why I did. Everyone was telling me how happy I'd be with him, and I believed them."

"Not everyone. I asked you to stay."

"And I should have listened to you. Leaving...it was the hardest thing I ever did."

"It broke my heart."

"Broke mine, too. But I was eighteen and stupid. The biggest mistake I of my life was leaving you that night. I've regretted it ever since," Hermione said.

"Why didn't you come back, then?"

"I was scared that-"

"That I'd moved on?" Hermione nodded.

"Well, you _are_ with Ginny." Harry shook his head at that.

"It's very on-off. I only got with her because, after you left, I had nowhere else to turn. Everyone was saying how good we looked together. I couldn't exactly say no after you and him ran off."

"I know."

"One last thing: why were you so surprised when you found out about Ginny? Don't give me that look, I saw your reaction." Hermione was silent, taking deep breaths. "Hermione?"

"I was surprised because...because...oh, to hell with it! I still love you! Is that what you were expecting?"

"Well, not exactly, no," Harry said. Hermione rose from the table, visibly upset. "Hermione, do you want to know why Ginny and I aren't working?" Harry stood up and walked so he was face to face with Hermione. She looked him straight in the eyes.

"I have a feeling you're gonna tell me either way."

"And you'd be right. The reason that Ginny and I aren't working is because I still love you. I've never stopped loving you. I never loved her. It was always you, Hermione!"

"Harry," she sighed. He took a hand and cupped her cheek, brushing her face with his thumb. Her eyes fluttered shut at the touch, and leaned into him. He closed his eyes and closed the gap between their lips, pressing his softly against hers. For several minutes, they stood there like that, Harry's left hand on Hermione's cheek, his right in her hair, Hermione's hands around Harry's neck, their lips moving slowly in sync. They parted, still in each other's arms, when oxygen became necessary.

"Hermione," Harry sighed. Then the gap was closed in another kiss, not slow and passionate like the last one, but lust-fueled and greedy. Harry moved his arms to her bum, and Hermione jumped and wrapped her legs around his waist and moved her hands to mess with his already messy hair. He removed his lips from hers, making Hermione whimper in need, and started to nibble on her earlobe, making her moan in pleasure. She tilted her neck to give Harry better access and he carried them toward his bedroom, but stopped at the wall just beside the door, sandwiching Hermione between himself and the wall. She pulled his shirt off and tossed it aside, taking in the feel of his hardness as she moved and relishing the sound of his moan. Harry slipped his hands under her shirt and started massaging her breasts. Hermione would have thrown her head back if the wall wasn't there, so she settled for calling out his name. Harry pulled off her shirt and suckled on her collarbone, Hermione's breath now ragged and uneven. She tugged at his boxers, the only article of clothing remaining on the pair, and Harry kicked them off.

Her lips met his again, and their tongues battled for dominance. Hermione caved once Harry slipped inside her, and they both gasped in pleasure. They quickly found their rythym, Harry pulsing in and out of Hermione while Hermione met each of his thrusts with one of her own. On and on it went until Hermione reached her climax, screaming out Harry's name, which brought Harry to his own peak.

They stood there entwined and glistening with perspiration, trying to bring their heart rates down to normal. Harry was the first to break the silence.

"I love you, Hermione. You were always on my mind. Everyday you were gone, you were all I could think about. Every second of every day, I dreamt of the day that I could see you again; the day you'd return to me. Well, I just wish that it were on better terms, but here we are. I'll never let anyone hurt you ever again," he said.

"Then help me hide. Ron'll be looking for me, and I couldn't stay here; it'd too awkward."

"That is something I can do. I know just the place, too," He said, hugging her and placing her feet on the floor. "But I think we should shower first, and you could use some more clothes. Would you mind if I got you some things?" Hermione shook her head. "Well then, go find something to wear first. We can always put a Shrinking Spell on it, and you don't wanna go to the mall in pajamas, do you?"

"Good point. Ginny's room is next to the bathroom?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah. Just give me ten minutes to shower and the bathroom's yours."

"Okay," Hermione said, drifting off to the mentioned bedroom, planning on not waiting ten minutes to take her shower.

_A.N.: So, things are progressing. That was also my first attempt at...whatever you'd like to call that. Don't criticize if it sucked, I'm a seventeen year-old with no experience in _that_ department, and I'm not ashamed to admit it._

_I'm hoping to keep the weekly update rate going. It gives me time to type up/write the upcoming chapters, and those of you with tons of stories on your alerts list (guilty!) time to catch up and stay on top of things. It also gives me more time to come up with/type out other fanfic ideas, because I have a million songfic ideas in my head, almost all being Harmonian (yay Harmony!). I'd probably just put them in a one-shot or short story collection...but I digress. Chapter 3 coming next week!_

_Until then,_

_SexyWaffles_

_AKA_

_Patty_


	3. Chapter 3

1**Chapter 3- Shopping Spree**

Hermione found a camisole and a hoodie that already fit and shrunk a pair of dark jeans to fit properly within five minutes. She silently crept into the steamy bathroom and undressed before climbing into the already occupied shower for round two. Half an hour later, Harry and Hermione exited the shower, both with smiles plastered on their faces. They didn't speak while they dried and dressed so that they could hold onto that post-orgasm euphoria just a little longer.

"You look nice," Harry finally said. "Not that you didn't, you're always gorgeous."

"Harry, stop blubbering. I get it. Now tell me what's on your mind, 'cause I know when you're thinking of something."

"Okay, I was thinking- don't give me that face, I've been known to use my brain from time to time," he said, noting the _Oh, really? You don't say! _look that Hermione was tossing him.

"And?" Hermione asked searchingly.

"I was thinking that since..._he's _looking for you, we should lay low. Stay around Muggles. He never got the hang of the Muggle lifestyle."

"Absolutely. But do you have any Muggle money?" she asked. Harry whipped out a shiny black credit card.

"I lay low a lot. And I have a plan to keep you safe. We'll get a cab to take us to the airport, then another to bring us to the hotel."

"But won't that make us look like we're there for only one reason?" Hermione pointed out. Harry pulled out two suitcases.

"Already covered. Now we look like we're on vacation," he said. Hermione nodded in understanding. "We'll fill them up with the stuff we grab at the mall."

"Very smart, Mr Potter. Twenty points to Gryffindor," she joked. Harry looked dejected.

"Only twenty points?" he asked, giving her the puppy dog face.

"Thirty. There's only one problem with your fabulous plan: my wand. He could track me down with it." Harry understood her concern, and quickly amended his plan.

"We're gonna Apparate to Gringotts and store your wand in my vault, then get you a new one at Ollivander's. On second thought, I'll go to Gringotts. I need gold anyway, and it keeps you outta sight. And I'll see how busy Ollivander's is."

"Don't take too long," she said, giving Harry her wand and enveloping him in a hug. When the hug ended, he Apparated away. Hermione paced the living room and huddled on the couch during the fifteen minutes of his absence.

"Ollivander's is empty," were the first words out of Harry's mouth when he returned. He grabbed Hermione's hand the next second and Apparated to outside of Ollivander's, where the old wizard stood alone behind the counter, checking out wands. Hermione quickly found a new wand, which Harry gladly paid for, and left as abruptly as they arrived.

"Harry, thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" she cried in between giving him kisses of appreciation. "I don't think I cold ever thank you enough! I'm safe, well, safer." Harry held her tight in his arms.

"Let's finish our shopping," Harry said. "And as long as I'm around, you're safe." Hermione smiled, and they went downstairs to the parking deck. The two of them got into a shiny silver Volvo and drove off to the local mall.

"I wasn't expecting you to drive a Volvo," Hermione said as they walked inside.

"It's my basic vehicle. I have a flashier one, but we agreed to lay low," Harry said, leading Hermione into the first store they found.

"Oh really?" she asked, her interest piqued, as she picked up a pair of jeans.

"A Porsche. It's yellow," he said, answering the inevitable question before it was asked. Hermione thought back to the car that was next to the Volvo and smiled.

"I liked it," she said, grabbing a few shirts before walking to the fitting rooms. "You better plan on taking me on a ride in it someday." Hermione spent little time trying on the clothes, only to put most of them back before ringing up.

"Is that all you want?" Harry asked as they left the store.

"We have a whole mall to search."

"What else do you need? Money is not an object." Hermione thought for a moment.

"More bottoms, tops, maybe a jacket or two, some hoodies, shoes, and bras and knickers and stuff like that."

"Oh, wow. The whole wardrobe. Let's get a move on," Harry said, going to the next store. For another two or three hours, they shopped, until they got hungry and went to the food court for lunch.

"So all we need to get is your personals," he said, taking a bite of his burger.

"Yeah. Unless you can think of anything else to buy, then we'll be good." They continued to eat their lunches, keeping up the small-talk.

"I need to go to the video store, so I'll do that while you're shopping," Harry said, sliding over the credit card. They finished their food and walked to the intimates store, which was only two stores down from the video store. Harry let Hermione go alone with the promise that she would get him when she was finished. Half an hour later, she found him holding a small stack of DVDs, a mix of new releases and Hermione's all-time favorites. They paid for the movies and returned to the flat.

"I had fun today," Harry said, helping Hermione fill the two suitcases. "Thank Merlin for Undetectable Expansion Charms."

"I had fun, too. Are you almost finished?" she asked as she closed one of the suitcases. Harry shut the other moments later.

"Yeah. Ready to go?" Hermione nodded and they went, hand in hand, outside to hail a cab.

_**A.N.: **__Well, there you go, chapter 3 for you. I know it's short, and I apologize. The chapters will got longer, because that's just how it happens. Things are progressing, slowly, but still progressing. I know that all you Twilight fans are freaking out with the references. It just came to me. Chapter 4 is coming sometime within the (hopefully) near future. I want to try for a weekly or bi-weekly update rate. It gives me time to type up/write the upcoming chapters, and those of you with tons of stories on your alerts list (guilty!) time to catch up and stay on top of things. It also gives me more time to come up with/type out other fanfic ideas, because I have a million songfic ideas in my head, almost all being Harmonian (yay Harmony!). I'd probably just put them in a one-shot or short story collection...but I digress. I also have a new story out, and the main pairing is not romantic, so don't worry. It's called _Fate Has Other Plans_ in case you want to look for it._

_In chapter 4 of this story, you figure out what exactly Harry and Hermione once shared. Though many of you could've guessed what it was already, you get some specifics. And because I'm in such a good mood (and am wishing dearly for everyone to forgive my epically slow update and long A.N.), I'm going to give you an excerpt! Yay, excerpts!_

"It's not a big deal," Harry said. Hermione cocked an eyebrow, and they laughed for no apparent reason. "Mione, I was-"

"Did you just call me 'Mione'?" Harry nodded. "No one's called me that since...you last did."

"Yeah. I as thinking about us. You remember that, right?"

"Of course. How could I forget?" she said.

"Did you want to?"


	4. Chapter 4

1**Chapter 4- Remembering**

The taxi brought Harry and Hermione to the airport, which was so crowded that no one noticed that they didn't go inside when they got into another cab. When they got to the hotel, Harry quickly led Hermione to the check-in desk, where he was promptly given two keycards. A lanky bellboy took the suitcases to the suite on the sixth floor that they had, and the two followed him. Hermione began to unpack, and Harry helped.

"Harry, I am eternally grateful for all you've done to help," Hermione began.

"It's not a big deal," Harry said. Hermione cocked an eyebrow, and they laughed for no apparent reason. "Mione, I was-"

"Did you just call me 'Mione'?" Harry nodded. "No one's called me that since . . . you last did."

"Yeah. I as thinking about us. You remember that, right?"

"Of course. How could I forget?" she said.

"Did you want to?"

"Never," Hermione said, sitting on the bed. "The only thing I wanna forget is the past few years." Harry sat down next to her.

"Same here. It hasn't been right, not seeing you everyday. I was just remembering how it began."

"It was fifth year, and you came to my house for Easter holiday," Hermione said with a smile, trailing off into happy memories.

***

"_Thanks for letting me spend the holiday with your family," Harry said._

"_I couldn't leave you alone at Hogwarts," Hermione said. "It's too bad that my parents were called outta town, though," she said, unpacking her trunk._

"_Yeah," he agreed, going through Hermione's stack of CDs. "What's this one?" Harry held up a burned CD that read _Kaylee's Mix_, and Hermione snatched it out of his hand._

"_My cousin sent it to me. She got me hooked on American music," she said popping it into her stereo. "This one song really sums up how I feel about . . . this one guy." The song began playing, and Hermione put it on repeat before sitting on her bed. Harry sat next to her and let the words sink in. He soon found himself singing along with Hermione. When the song ended the first time, they both bust out laughing._

"_I get how you feel about the song. What's it called?" Harry asked._

"'_When You Look Me in The Eyes'. You couldn't guess?"_

"_Don't tease me for not following Muggle American pop music. So, you fancy somebody . . . who's the lucky guy to grab the attention of the smartest witch of the age?"_

"_Now who's teasing," Hermione said. "Just for that, I'm not telling."_

"_Not fair!" Harry said, pouting. "I'll tell you the girl I fancy if you tell me the guy you fancy. Deal?" Hermione held a hand to her chin as she fake-pondered the proposition that Harry had given her._

"_Deal. So, who's the lucky girl to capture the fancy of the famous Harry Potter?"_

"_Hey!"_

"_I'm just getting you back for the comment you gave me. So . . . who is she? Do I know her?"_

"_Quite well, actually. You could say that you know her the best out of anybody, except for me at times," he said._

"_Oh, really?_" _Hermione said._

"_Yeah. And for this bloke- do I know him?"_

"_Yeah, he is to you who the girl you like is to me. Then we could totally double date, if we're so close,"_ _she said with a twinge of sadness._

"_I don't think that that would work out," Harry said._

"_And why is that?"_

"_I couldn't possibly go out with you if you're there with some other guy," Harry said._

"_That makes sen-wait! You fancy _me_?" Harry nodded. "Good, because it would be painful to see you with some other chick on your arm." Harry nodded, then did a double-take._

"_You fancy _me_?" Hermione smiled, and Harry gently pressed his lips to hers. They both felt the sparks in that kiss._

"_More than fancy," she said. "I love you." Harry kissed her again, a bit more forcefully, and Hermione quickly responded, opening her mouth when she felt his tongue on her lips. They only broke the lip-lock when oxygen became necessary._

"_That's good, because I love you, Hermione Granger. And did anyone ever tell you that you're a fantastic kisser?" She shook her head and he leaned in for another searing kiss. The intensity kept building the longer their lips touched. Their tongues danced in the other's mouths, and Hermione took off her tee shirt, revealing a black lace bra. They fell backwards on the bed and Harry pulled his shirt off. Harry hovered over Hermione's form, trailing kisses down her neck, eliciting squeals from her. She kicked off her pants and moved to help Harry out of his when he grabbed her wrists and pinned them down over her head._

"_Harry?"_

"'_Mione, are you sure?" he asked._

"_Yes. I've never been more sure of anything."_

"_Everything will change."_

"_Change is good," Hermione murmured, continuing kissing this one sensitive spot he had under his jaw. Harry released her wrists and she fumbled with his belt, smiling when she got it off. She slid the jeans down his legs and Harry kicked them off. Harry hitched one of Hermione's legs over his hip, and Hermione wrapped both around his waist, feeling his hardness rub against herself. She let out a loud moan, and Harry unclasped her bra, tearing it away from her body and kneading her breasts with his hands._

"_Harry!" she called out as she pulled down his boxers, letting his erection spring free. She gazed at it for a moment, wondering how he would fit, before Harry entrapped her in another kiss. Harry stripped off her poor excuse for knickers and situated himself between her legs. He stopped, waiting for a signal to continue. Hermione nodded and Harry gently pushed himself into her core. They both gasped at the unfamiliar feeling, and Harry stopped when he reached her barrier. With a quick smile from Hermione, Harry broke through. Hermione cried out in pain_.

"_Oh, God, I'm sorry," he said._

"_Don't be. Keep going. I'll be fine. You really need to stop worrying sometimes." Harry headed her advice, slowly pulling out of her, then pushing back in. He continued his thrusting, watching as Hermione's expression changed from pain to pleasure. Soon Hermione began bucking her hips to meet his thrusts, the two of them coming closer to their peaks._

"_Mione...I'm so close."_

"_Me too." With one final thrust, both teens reached their orgasm, crying out the others' name. Harry rolled off of Hermione and lay next to her, both of them trying to steady their breathing._

"_Merlin, that was...are you okay, Mione? I didn't hurt you too badly, did I?"_

"_I was told that it would hurt the first time."_

"_I'm so sorry, Mione," he said. Hermione held a finger to his lips._

"_It's a good kind of hurt. Trust me."_

"_With my life," Harry said, kissing her again. "It won't always hurt you, right?"_

"_There's only one way to find out," Hermione said with a smile._

***

"That was one of the best days of my life," Hermione said. "It was so cute how worried you were about me being hurt."

"I love you. I never want you to hurt," he said. Hermione rewarded Harry with a kiss, which promptly led to more.


End file.
